As Lisa Bernardi climbed over barbed wire to escape a drainage ditch during a flash flood in Uvita, Costa Rica, the 18-year-old desperately wanted to avoid becoming a statistic.

The Alexandria resident and Bishop Ireton graduate took a year off before starting college to volunteer in the Central American nation with United Planet, an international nonprofit. Arriving in August, she worked in a kindergarten program for the children of a small farming village not far from the Pacific Ocean.

During her short stay, another American in her contingent left the program unexpectedly and died in Costa Rica not long after. Fighting for her life after being swept into a drainage ditch by a torrent of rainwater October 28, Bernardi could only think about becoming the second U.S. citizen connected to the program to die.

This isnt going to happen, she said. Theres not going to be two dead Americans, just one.

Heading to a local hostel where she was staying during a trip to nearby Uvita, Bernardis cab driver dropped her off after floodwater rose too high. She attempted to make her way to the hospital on foot when a current of water knocked her off balance.

My face hit the side of the drainage pipe and I had to grab on and pull myself out, but I had to climb over barbed wire to get out, she said. I completely cut up my feet, but I didnt even notice it at the time. I vaguely remember my feet hurting.

Bernardie didnt know the extent of the damage until much later. A nearby family spotted her struggling and took her in for the night.

Exhausted, she chose sleep over making another attempt at the hostel.

When I was getting into bed, I looked down and noticed blood all over the floor. I didnt even notice how bad it was at that point, Bernardie said. I woke up around 2:30 a.m. and my feet were throbbing and I was extremely cold. I walked the rest of the way to the hostel.

Her feet lacerated by the barbed wire, Bernardie spent the next few days recovering unable to walk while waiting for the road to San Jose to reopen. Waiting back in Alexandria, her parents received only bits and pieces of information about the near miss until Bernardie was able to get to an Internet caf with the help of some students, said her mother, Brenda.

What really upset me was the uncertainty, Brenda said. I knew she was at a hostel and I knew she was hoping to get to San Jose, but the bridge was down and theyd had a lot of problems with people dying in mudslides. Because she didnt have her phone she had no way to get hold of me that was the only time I got really upset.

Her father, John, said the couple prepared to fly down if necessary. After Lisa reassured them the wounds werent life threatening and her American doctors confirmed her Tetanus shots were current they waited to see if their daughter would come home or finish volunteering in Costa Rica.

She opted to catch the first available flight back to Washington, D.C., to her mothers relief.

Still, Lisa left Costa Rica with mixed feelings. United Planet wont allow her to resume her volunteer work, though she will fly back to see the children she met graduate from kindergarten later this month.

Despite the brush with death, John and Brenda support their daughters volunteer work. She came back more independent and adventurous, they said.

The little girl that waddled down the corridor at the airport was a different girl, Brenda said. Its hard to believe it was only three months. I think its a wonderful thing to do I think it took a look a lot of will to just to survive. To fight nature like that, as a little girl I always thought she was timid. Im proud of her for just making good decisions.

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(1) Reader Comment

Steve Priest

March 5, 2012 at 9:28 pm

My name is Steve Priest. The other American in Lisa’s group who died was my son Stephen Chad Priest. I am currently working on making these Organizations that our young adults join to volunteer disclose the true dangers they will be facing are disclosed. I spoke with the founder of United Planet as well as their attorney & neither could direct me to any disclosure of any danger on their website. Here are a few articles that might surprise you.Drugs are becoming a bigger issue in Costa Rica. When it comes to drug
trafficking in Central America, Costa Rica is no longer just a supply
transit center. Costa Rica’s president Laura Chinchilla has confirmed
it. Traffickers have moved their operations to the country. Now drugs
are being produced, processed and consumed in Costa Rica.

A decade ago, Central America seized less cocaine than either the
Caribbean or Mexico, but in 2008 it intercepted three times more than
the other two combined. The ever changing drug business has sought new
premises. According to American officials, somewhere between 250 and
350 tons of cocaine, which is almost as much as the whole amount
heading for the United States, now pass through Guatemala each year.

Costa Rica: 85% Homicides in 2010 Went Unpunished

The chances of going to jail for murder in Costa Rica are slim, very
slim, as 85% of the homicides last year went unpunished, that is of
the 506 murders, there were only 76 convictions.

According to the Poder Judicial (Judiciary) of the 145.284 overall
complaints filed in 2010 only 3.856 convictions were registered. In
terms of rape, there were 1….613 allegations but only 157 sentences,
leaving in impunity more than 90% of the cases.

On the issue of auto theft, 42.434 cases were reported but only 801
people convicted, while in cases involving drugs of the 64.217 charges
there were only 217 convictions.

According to Juan Diego Castro, criminal lawyer and former ministro de
Seguridad Publica, the impunity last year is the highest in more than
a decade. And, according to Castro, it is not going to get better if
the situation is not taken seriously by the government.

I know if these facts had been disclosed Chad would have never made this trip to Costa Rica and would be alive today. ” RISKING DEATH TO VOLUNTEER” Could not have picked a better title.